I was originally supposed to get back to Copenhagen on a Tuesday after my vacation to DC and Wisconsin, but I ended up staying in the States a few extra days to go to a meeting for work which meant that I flew back overnight on a Thursday...arrived in Copenhagen at 1pm on Friday....stored my bags at the airport...and met up with Jamie and Virginie to head off to Paris for the weekend!
Jamie (American), Virginie (French), and I all work on the same team at Maersk and who could pass up an opportunity to let Virginie show us around her favorite city?! We arrived early Friday evening and headed to a cute little apartment in the city that Virginie's mom owns (it is near the Nation metro stop if you are familiar with Paris). From there we met Virginie's mom for a lovely dinner followed by a drive around Paris at night.
Saturday we toured ALL of Paris. Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but not much - we hit all the attractions except Le Sacre Couer. Paris had just installed a new city biking system, which, in my humble opinion, every major city should do. There are stations all over the city and the main point it to keep the bikes in circulation so after you 'reserve" your day ticket via the kiosks, it is free for the first 30min, 1 Euro for the next 30min, 2 Euro for the next 30min, etc. But if you ride 20min to your destination, store the bike at the station, and then pick up a new bike later, the clock starts over again...so it is essentially a free system. Well done Paris! And we were off!!!
After dinner we went to a bar in the district near where Virginie used to live...she remembered it as being "super" (said in a thick French accent!) and she was correct. We met two French guys (Nicola and Pierre...pictured below along with the bar owner) and had a great time talking with them before we all hit the caves for a night of dancing!
Sunday was a little more low key, but we still took full advantage of the bikes and Virginie's knowledge of the city as we biked through the maze of streets. She took us to brunch at Le Pain Quotidien which is a MUST DO when you are in Paris...one of the best brunches I have ever had in my life and the atmosphere (large wooden tables that you share with other diners, a decor that gives a modern twist to an old French farmhouse).
An absolutely fabulous trip...the only problem is that it was too short. Merci Virginie!
No comments:
Post a Comment